Have saddle will travel for a Bangor-on-Dee baptism

• Posted by Nick Peet at 11:44 PM | add or read comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

IT’S Bangor or bust for me as far as my horse racing challenge is concerned.
I can confirm today that I will be donning my silks at the North Wales course on Saturday, May 17, in an after race gallop following the North West Hunter Chase Finals on an actual full card race meeting.
The original plan was for me to race in a behind closed doors bumper at Aintree Racecourse at the end of the month.
But after finally starting my training proper with coach and mentor Will Kinsey this week the possibility of riding at Bangor during a proper meeting proved too good an opportunity to miss.
Kinsey, a professional jockey and assistant trainer at Donald McCain’s stable in Cheshire, may have been helping prepare the likes of Cloudy Lane and Idle Talk for the Grand National most recently, but he now faces the grandstand task of whipping me into shape for the ride of my life.
I have started training at the beautiful Kinsey family race stables at Peel Hall in Ashton, near Frodsham and, although I have spent most of this first week back in the manege (an exercise ring used for schooling horses - and novices), my confidence is climbing like Red Rum at Becher’s Brook.
Admittedly, I am some way off filing into the stalls or even kicking for home, as I am having to learn to ride almost all over again.
But just being around a real race stable, working with genuine thoroughbred horses and chatting with racing folk is really encouraging me to fall in love with the sport.
After our first session together - in which I came close to falling off when my left foot popped out of the stirrup on a canter - Will said: “Okay, so you can sit in the saddle and ride but let’s take off the stabilisers now. It’s time for you to do the work too.�
And just like riding a bike, horse racing is all about balance.
No wonder racing saddles are so small - you never get to sit in them.
The racing position is about keeping your legs straight with your heels down, gripping with your inner calves, lifting your bum in the air with your back straight and - in order to see - your head up.
Sounds uncomfortable? Welcome to my new world.
Luckily, my one-on-one personal trainer has more than enough experience to make my transition as slick as possible.
Kinsey started riding when he was just a baby and started racing, initially as a hobby, at the age of 18.
Now 26, he's been a professional jockey for the past three years and made his name riding out of his family’s stables before being targeted and then signing up with the McCains last summer.
Long term, however, he has plans to establish the Kinsey race stable as a strong brand all on its own.
Will has ridden at courses all over the country, often a couple of rides each week, and even though I think he was secretly hoping that I would have been rather more competent than I am, he’s more than up for the challenge of turning me into a genuine, or maybe just passable, flat jockey.
Kinsey added: “You’ll be fine. If you were really struggling then I wouldn't have even suggested riding at the Bangor meeting.
“But once you get into the habit of riding out of the saddle everything else will come from that. You’ll be out galloping out soon enough.�
The Bangor-on-Dee race meeting on May 17 is one of the course’s most popular fixtures, marking the end of the series of five hunter chases hosted during the spring.
And with a list of prospective Merseyside-based jockeys being lined up to saddle up beside me, my big Saturday race really can't come soon enough.

Peet and Barlow back in business

THE jigsaw will be back in the box this weekend when the dream Nick Peet - Stuart Barlow strike partnership returns to the field.
And I am hoping that my new weight loss and fitness regime will help me shine on Sunday when I figure in an annual charity football match.
Every year a string of Echo journo’s take on doctors and staff from Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in a match to help raise awareness of bowel cancer.
Both sides are helped out by a good sprinkling of former Everton, Liverpool and Tranmere players.
Last year I had the pleasure of playing alongside Ian Rush - and even stuck one past Eric Nixon after stumbling around Alan Kennedy!
Once again the field will be packed with ex-pros this weekend, but last year a much chunkier version of myself ran riot in the Echo rout thanks mainly to the service from former Blues striker Barlow.
The match is on Sunday at the Liverpool University playing fields on Mather Avenue in Allerton. Gates open at 1pm, followed by kick-off at 2pm.
The family day is free to attend and includes health awareness stands, face painting, a Wembley shoot-out, and a refreshment bar.

Progress can be judged by cowboy waddle

• Posted by Nick Peet at 9:25 AM | add or read comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

JUST four weeks after my Half Marathon exploits, I was back hobbling around the office yesterday after kicking my horse riding training up a notch.
After my enjoyable leisurely strolls along the beach during week one, this week I have been having specialist one-on-one lessons in an attempt to pass myself as an experienced rider.
With less than a fortnight to go before my proper racing training begins, being able to master a normal steed has quickly become priority number one.
I've been putting in the hours with my new pal Jackson, a Welsh Cob cross thoroughbred, at Bold Heath Equestrian Centre, and I delighted both myself and my young instructor by ending the week trotting out of the saddle and even cantering on my own.
By that I mean on the back of the horse, obviously . . . I'm not running round leaping jumps with coconut shells in my hands, let's get that straight.
The only problem now is that I have already assumed the waddle of a genuine cowboy.
Stepping into the office yesterday, I resembled a skinny John Wayne searching for his posse.
My thighs, calves and rear end need to be teased around everywhere I go.
Just sitting in a chair has become a military operation, having to shift my weight from cheek to cheek in order not to inflame the bruises further.
And the burns on the inside of each knee, where my black Levis have been rubbing up against the saddle, are impressive.
All that on top of the fact that my burning thighs feel like I've been squatting with Jackson on my back, rather than the other way around.
But in little more than a week, I've gone from a hacking Hack to a rider capable of changing my stirrups and saddle to fit while still on the horse. I'm riding without close supervision and my confidence is right back up again.
I even attempted to ride like a proper jockey in the final minutes of my last lesson.
I pulled up the stirrups high, shortened my reins and pushed my hands up Jackson's head by his ears and attempted to keep my backside in the air and off the seat.
And that, believe me, is no easy task.
But it was a much more comfortable way to canter and I felt much better balanced while Jackson wasn't getting pulled back on his reins so he really opened up.
For the first time in a fortnight I felt something like a proper jockey . . . albeit a ridiculously tall one - wearing his good work shoes (they were the only footwear I have that are remotely suitable) and a pair of going out jeans (now with shiny knees).
Bring on the racers.

Racing will be top priority

WITH the Grand National Festival kicking off today (what? you hadn't noticed) I've found myself glued to the Racing Channel and racing pages ahead of the world's greatest steeplechase.
I'm hoping to show my face at the course tomorrow, but I must confess that for the first time in 10 years of Friday attendance my attention will be fixed on the jockeys and horses so much more than the spectacle off the track.
Ladies’ Day for me has always been about just two things (ahem!), chasing the best bets and drinking beer and bubbly with friends.
But tomorrow I know I am going to be glued to the rails as I take in up close my latest challenge.
I'm also going to be sticking almost religiously to betting on horses from the McCain family stable as they've been brilliant with advice so far.
My fiver will certainly be on Cloudy Lane on Saturday.

Council gym gesture just great

DESPITE my riding lessons I've still been sticking with my irregular gym sessions and to my non-fat diet.
Okay, so I had a few last Sunday, but it was derby day and whether you are Blue or Red a few beers is a necessity to keep the fingernails from getting chewed off.
Anyway, after accepting that for the rest of the year I was going to be something of a gym gypsy as I move around the city, training with the best athletes and coaches possible, the city council lent their support this week.
I was presented with a 12-month Lifestyles pass which means I can use any council gym in the city, which is really going to assist me in keeping in shape.
Practically all of the Lifestyles gyms have enjoyed modern makeovers in recent months so I couldn't ask for more, with each centre boasting specialised equipment for various sports.
I am especially looking forward to a swim in the new 50m Olympic-style pool this weekend.
Not only is that going to help relax my aching muscles, but the pool is also where I plan on doing most of my training towards challenge number six, the Cross Mersey Swim in August.

Learning to canter

• Posted by Nick Peet at 3:06 PM | add or read comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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